1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to outdoor cooking utensils utilizing briquets, such as of charcoal, and particularly to an apparatus and method for igniting the briquets.
2. Description of the Prior Art
One common type of outdoor cooking utensil utilizes briquets composed of a carbonaceous material, such as charcoal or wood. The cooking utensil has a pan for receiving the briquets and a grill located above the briquets on which food is cooked. Initially, the user of the cooking utensil ignites the briquets by some means. After the briquets have burned sufficiently into hot coals, the food is placed on the grill.
The most common means for igniting the briquets employs a liquid petroleum based lighter fluid. The user pours lighter fluid over the briquets and then ignites the lighter fluid with a match. The lighter fluid burns, and the flame eventually provides enough heat to ignite the briquets.
Although the method described above is workable, the lighter fluid creates an unpleasant odor. Furthermore, the lighter fluid occasionally fails to ignite the briquets sufficiently. On those occasions, the user may be tempted to pour additional lighter fluid on the briquets while they are smoldering. This and other forms of misuse often create significant safety hazards.
There are other devices for igniting briquets, both marketed and shown in prior patents. Several of these devices include some type of container in which the briquets are stacked together to enhance combustion. In some cases, the user employs a solid combustible fire starter rather than lighter fluid. These devices normally require the user to dump the hot briquets out of the container onto the pan of the cooling utensil. In performing this step, the user must exercise caution to avoid being burned by either the container or the briquets.